--- title: "Wind River: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/wind-river/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/wind-river" critics_score: 70 critics_reviews: 26 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Wind River (2017): what the critics said Critics' score 70 from 26 reviews: 19 positive, 5 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics find Wind River a tense, affecting crime thriller, with praise concentrated on Jeremy Renner’s restrained performance and the harsh Wyoming landscape. The snow, silence and procedural detail give the investigation weight, while Taylor Sheridan’s handling of grief earns approval alongside the suspense. Several reviews also value its attention to Native American marginalisation, finding substance in the reservation setting rather than simply an unfamiliar backdrop. The spread is wide, however, and even favourable reviews question the script’s tendency to explain its themes through earnest speeches. Character development and pacing draw further reservations, with some critics finding conventional thriller plotting where others see assured storytelling. Little White Lies argues that the reservation’s specificity goes insufficiently explored; the Evening Standard objects more sharply to the hero’s philosophising and the indulgence of vigilantism. The central disagreement is over whether the social concerns deepen the thriller or are poorly served by its familiar machinery. ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2017. This tense, convincing independent film is the most accomplished violent thriller in quite some time, with gritty dialogue, authentic characters, and a stellar turn from Renner. Sheridan demonstrates a deep understanding of his own script through strong direction and storytelling. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-wind-river-review-20170803-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 7 September 2017. The critic calls it a gripping, satisfying drama and a smart western forensic thriller with muscular confidence in storytelling. They single out the atmospheric snow and silence as central elements alongside strong performances from Renner and Olsen. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/sep/07/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner-elizabeth-olsen-taylor-sheridan) ## The Telegraph Rating 4/5. 7 September 2017. The review praises Sheridan's chilly noir for getting the riveting best out of Renner in a subtle, individual performance. It highlights the director as a rising talent navigating inhospitable ground effectively. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/wind-river-reviewthe-director-deserves-prize-getting-riveting/) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Rating 4/5. 5 September 2017. The review praises this lean, mean crime drama as a forlorn western that makes viewers sharper observers of clues and tracks. Sheridan’s sharp observations of Native American characters and tense, unsentimental style stand out as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/wind-river) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich Rating B. 23 January 2017. Festival review. Sheridan steps behind the camera for his visceral but characteristically didactic directorial debut. Renner delivers an ice-cold cowboy performance in this solid noir. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner-taylor-sheridan-sundance-2017-1201772472/) ## Radio Times — Damon Wise Rating 7.7/10. The film delivers a strong mix of politics and pulp addressing indifference to crime on Native American land, with a tense climax that works well. However, it falters with overly earnest talk and slightly patronising philosophising after a promising start. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-8kxe7e/wind-river/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. Sheridan's directorial debut delivers shrewd insights into troubling American social issues in a punchy package centered on a murder on a Wyoming reservation. It features one of Renner's best recent performances but falls into traps with Tarantino and Peckinpah territory. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/wind-river-review-967103/) ## RogerEbert.com — Christy Lemire Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 2017. The film excels at evoking the harsh, isolated Wyoming landscape and its emotional weight on characters. Sheridan draws strong performances, especially from Renner and supporting players, though the script occasionally spells out themes too explicitly. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/wind-river-2017) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. Sheridan’s directorial debut is a combustible, masculine and tense thriller that shows he can direct with ease and that his written work is eminently filmable. The film succeeds as a solid thriller with heart, though it may appeal more to fans of his earlier scripts than those put off by Sicario. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/wind-river-sundance-review/5114018.article) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating B-. 3 August 2017. The weakest of Sheridan’s loose trilogy with thinnest characterizations, but the filmmaker’s gift for procedural and environmental detail still shines through the pulpy crime fiction. It returns to a mythic outlaw frontier. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/wind-river-sends-jeremy-renner-to-a-colder-stretch-of-t-1798192733) ## The New York Times — Glenn Kenny Rating Critic's Pick. 3 August 2017. Sheridan proves a strong director with assured handling of the material and excellent performances from the cast. The film builds to a shocking climax that highlights larger injustices faced by Native Americans. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/03/movies/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner-elizabeth-olsen.html) ## The Times — Ed Potton Rating ★★★★☆. 7 September 2017. The critic finds it a curious but ultimately humane story of brutality and grief with a plangent, spacious savagery that lingers. They single out Renner's moving, unconventional lead performance as a highlight. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/film-review-wind-river-t37q7m0k8) ## Little White Lies — Elena Lazic Rating 4/3/2. 6 September 2017. The critic finds the film the dullest of Sheridan’s three features, with a promising opening that gives way to conventional thriller tropes and artificial drama. The interesting reservation setting is undermined by a story that fails to explore its specificity in depth. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/wind-river) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2017. Sheridan packs convictions about inequality and racism into pulp thrillers but overwrites and shoots on the nose in his directorial debut. The powerful ending offers no catharsis, just a sense of waste. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2017/08/wind-river-is-overwritten-but-has-a-crazy-powerful-ending.html) ## Empire — Andrew Lowry Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 5 September 2017. The critic praises Sheridan’s writing for vividly recreating the bleak reservation life and the effective score, but faults the directing for awkward pacing that undercuts emotional impact and leaves the film feeling like a prestige project without the polish. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/wind-river-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Christopher Gray Rating 2/4. 29 July 2017. The film slips into formula and redundancy; Sheridan’s script is fatally keyed to the main character’s unwavering stoicism and didacticism that masks a smug worldview. The supporting cast is terrific but cannot fully temper the laborious tactics. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/wind-river/) ## Film Comment — Michael Sragow Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 3 August 2017. The critic finds the film adrift with mixed results, as Sheridan struggles to cohere his script around themes of violence and marginalization on the reservation despite strong subject matter. Renner's performance stands out, but the story is hampered by didacticism and a lack of thriller momentum. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/deep-focus-wind-river/) ## Evening Standard — Charlotte O'Sullivan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2017. The critic notes some effective sequences highlighting abuse of Native American women and a well-choreographed shoot-out, but overall finds the film leaves a bad smell due to an unconvincing, fortune-cookie-spouting hero and indulgent vigilante elements. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/wind-river-review-dont-be-a-sucker-for-the-american-nightmare-a3682776.html) ## HeyUGuys — Nathan McVay Rating 5/5. 23 January 2017. Festival review. Sheridan's directorial debut is one of the most complete and thrilling films at Sundance, with an incredible script and direction. Jeremy Renner gives a career-best performance as the enigmatic lead in this deep, moving thriller. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/wind-river-review/) ## Den of Geek — Ryan Lambie Rating 4/5. 8 September 2017. Sheridan's assured directorial debut is a gripping thriller that blends murder mystery with commentary on Native American marginalization and male violence in a harsh Wyoming landscape. Renner's lead performance and the film's detailed writing about the environment and community are highlights. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/wind-river-review/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2017. Sheridan's thriller is well-served by its genre action sequences, but the traces of grief linger longest. The film develops characters effectively before delivering a subversive take on mismatched cop expectations and emotional resonance. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/wind-river-2017-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating B. 4 August 2017. The critic finds it a captivating, thoughtful drama on compassion and grief in a modern Western setting with a strong script. Direction is competent but lacks the vision of comparable filmmakers. [Read the review](https://collider.com/wind-river-review/) ## /Film — Ethan Anderton Rating 7.5/10. 22 January 2017. Festival review. The film plays like a polished procedural with a beautiful snowy setting and strong acting, especially from Renner in his best performance. The third act delivers a shocking punch, though the script isn't as sharp as Sheridan's prior screenplays. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/548852/wind-river-review/) ## The Playlist — Kevin Jagernauth Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 22 January 2017. Festival review. Sheridan's directorial debut pares the story to essentials and delivers smart takes on life-or-death adventure, though it can feel slight at times. It succeeds as a thoughtful, earthy procedural with strong performances from Renner and Olsen. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/sicario-writer-taylor-sheridan-delivers-goods-wind-river-jeremy-renner-elizabeth-olsen-sundance-review-20170122/) ## The Wrap — Claudia Puig Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 4 August 2017. The critic finds “Wind River” an absorbing and well-crafted murder mystery that stands out for its tense mood and sharp writing. She particularly praises Taylor Sheridan’s dialogue and the vivid portrayal of the harsh Wyoming landscape through cinematography. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/wind-river-review-jeremy-renner/) ## NME — Olly Richards Rating 3/5. 6 September 2017. Sheridan's intelligent murder mystery uses sparse structure and precise dialogue to explore ideas about justice and a divided nation, making for an engaging debut despite some flaws. The film is let down by underdeveloped characters like the FBI agent and occasional directorial indulgence in monologues. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/wind-river-film-review-2134623-2134623) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/wind-river.md